Idaho Department of Fish and Game (DFG) recently released about 15,000 pure Gerrard (Kamloops) rainbow trout fingerlings into the Pack River drainage and Spring Creek.
Eggs for the project were acquired from British Columbia. The fingerling rainbows were reared at the Cabinet Gorge Hatchery.
Community support for the stocking program comes from the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club. With help from the club, the fingerlings were recently adipose-fin-clipped so that Fish and Game can evaluate their performance and future contribution to the fishery.
source: Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Minnesota Leech Lake Fish Species
The results of recent fall test netting on Leech Lake conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found strong walleye populations, while other species showed mixed results.
According to DNR biologists, anglers who visit Leech Lake should continue to expect quality fishing. Lake-wide, walleye counts in DNR test nets averaged 8.9 walleye per net lift, which was above the long-term average of 7.7 walleye per net lift.
“September gill nets showed above-average numbers of all sizes of walleye,” said Doug Schultz, DNR area fisheries supervisor in Walker. “Fishing reports have been excellent all season, and this survey confirms that good walleye fishing is expected to continue through the winter and into next year.”
Schultz added that the strong 2010 year class reached harvestable sizes this summer, which “had a lot to do with angling success.” Additionally, 36 percent of walleye sampled were within the current slot limit and have provided anglers the opportunity to catch larger fish.
Other game fish species targeted with test nets include yellow perch and northern pike. Yellow perch abundance declined for the sixth consecutive year, while northern pike abundance continues to remain stable.
The primary species of nongame fish assessed with the test nets is cisco. Fall test netting indicated cisco continue to be present at moderate levels of abundance.
source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
According to DNR biologists, anglers who visit Leech Lake should continue to expect quality fishing. Lake-wide, walleye counts in DNR test nets averaged 8.9 walleye per net lift, which was above the long-term average of 7.7 walleye per net lift.
“September gill nets showed above-average numbers of all sizes of walleye,” said Doug Schultz, DNR area fisheries supervisor in Walker. “Fishing reports have been excellent all season, and this survey confirms that good walleye fishing is expected to continue through the winter and into next year.”
Schultz added that the strong 2010 year class reached harvestable sizes this summer, which “had a lot to do with angling success.” Additionally, 36 percent of walleye sampled were within the current slot limit and have provided anglers the opportunity to catch larger fish.
Other game fish species targeted with test nets include yellow perch and northern pike. Yellow perch abundance declined for the sixth consecutive year, while northern pike abundance continues to remain stable.
The primary species of nongame fish assessed with the test nets is cisco. Fall test netting indicated cisco continue to be present at moderate levels of abundance.
source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Idaho Dutch Flat Dam Removal Could Benefit Steelhead
Dutch Flat Dam was a 10-foot barrier built nearly a century ago to provide drinking water to Troy, Idaho. The dam spanned the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, which ran so dry in summer that nobody thought steelhead survived there.
About a decade ago biologists realized that steelhead do, in fact, survive in such streams. It turns out that steelhead are able to survive dry periods by moving into pools cooled by underground flows.
Over the summer of 2013, local leaders and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game worked with federal agencies to take out the dam so steelhead can again move freely up the West Fork of Little Bear Creek. Crews finished removing the dam’s concrete in early September and are now widening a new course for the creek.
An inventory by Idaho Fish and Game about 10 years ago surprised many locals by finding steelhead throughout the Potlatch River drainage in small streams such as Little Bear Creek that mostly dried up in summer. It turned out that the fish survive the summer in remnant pools cooled by subterranean water.
As word of the steelhead spread, so did enthusiasm for removing the dam and reopening the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, said biologist Bob Ries of NOAA Fisheries. Enthusiasm grew even more when a local resident found steelhead spawning in the creek.
Biologists salvaged almost 180 fish from pools below the dam before the removal began and about three quarters were steelhead, Johnson said. It was the most steelhead they had ever captured in that reach, he said, suggesting that many fish stand to benefit from removal of the dam.
Snake River steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. Removing migration barriers and restoring access to high quality spawning and rearing habitat is considered critical for their recovery.
NOAA Fisheries and the Bonneville Power Administration provided $500,000 for the project. NOAA’s funding came from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, a competitive grant program dedicated to restoring Pacific salmon and their habitat.
For more information, visit: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/stories/2013/dutch_flat_dam_removal.html
source: NOAA Fisheries
About a decade ago biologists realized that steelhead do, in fact, survive in such streams. It turns out that steelhead are able to survive dry periods by moving into pools cooled by underground flows.
Over the summer of 2013, local leaders and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game worked with federal agencies to take out the dam so steelhead can again move freely up the West Fork of Little Bear Creek. Crews finished removing the dam’s concrete in early September and are now widening a new course for the creek.
An inventory by Idaho Fish and Game about 10 years ago surprised many locals by finding steelhead throughout the Potlatch River drainage in small streams such as Little Bear Creek that mostly dried up in summer. It turned out that the fish survive the summer in remnant pools cooled by subterranean water.
As word of the steelhead spread, so did enthusiasm for removing the dam and reopening the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, said biologist Bob Ries of NOAA Fisheries. Enthusiasm grew even more when a local resident found steelhead spawning in the creek.
Biologists salvaged almost 180 fish from pools below the dam before the removal began and about three quarters were steelhead, Johnson said. It was the most steelhead they had ever captured in that reach, he said, suggesting that many fish stand to benefit from removal of the dam.
Snake River steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. Removing migration barriers and restoring access to high quality spawning and rearing habitat is considered critical for their recovery.
NOAA Fisheries and the Bonneville Power Administration provided $500,000 for the project. NOAA’s funding came from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, a competitive grant program dedicated to restoring Pacific salmon and their habitat.
For more information, visit: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/stories/2013/dutch_flat_dam_removal.html
source: NOAA Fisheries
2013 Maryland Fall Trout Stocking
During the month of October, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists will release approximately 23,000 one pound rainbow and golden trout, and about 1,000 brown trout into Maryland’s freshwater streams and ponds. They will also stock about 150 rainbow and golden trout in the two-three-pound range.
Fall stocking locations include popular fishing areas such as the North Branch Potomac, Bear Creek, Town Creek, Blairs Valley Lake, Morgan Run, Patapsco River, Gunpowder Falls, Great Seneca, Wheatly Lake, Lake Artimesia, Greenbelt Lake, Big Elk, Deer Creek and Tuckahoe Creek.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Fall stocking locations include popular fishing areas such as the North Branch Potomac, Bear Creek, Town Creek, Blairs Valley Lake, Morgan Run, Patapsco River, Gunpowder Falls, Great Seneca, Wheatly Lake, Lake Artimesia, Greenbelt Lake, Big Elk, Deer Creek and Tuckahoe Creek.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Thursday, July 4, 2013
North Carolina "Keep Bass Alive" Cards
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission recently announced the availability of a “Keeping Bass Alive” card, suitable for downloading and printing. The new document provides tips for both recreational and tournament anglers.
The card can be downloaded at: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/News/documents/Keep_Bass_Alive_Card.pdf
More information on keeping bass alive, including the B.A.S.S.-produced publication, “Keeping Bass Alive: A Guidebook for Tournament Bass Anglers and Organizers,” is available on the Commission’s website, www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.
source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
The card can be downloaded at: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/News/documents/Keep_Bass_Alive_Card.pdf
More information on keeping bass alive, including the B.A.S.S.-produced publication, “Keeping Bass Alive: A Guidebook for Tournament Bass Anglers and Organizers,” is available on the Commission’s website, www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.
source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
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